Coffee culture: A history

The Australian palette is vastly appreciative. Our multicultural
makeup, as well as our close proximity to Asia, styles our national
cuisine: a unique medley of cross-cultural flavour and flair. We'll
sample the new, revisit the old and trial the
new with the old. But however experimental and
diverse our dishes may be, when it comes to coffee, we know what we
want: the best.

And why shouldn't we? Legend has it the origin of the coffee
bean dates back to the 9thcentury. With more than a
thousand years of exposure to different cultures, the ol' cup of
joe has had plenty of opportunity to reach perfection. If Australia
can count its contribution to the global coffee scene in flat
whites (or was it NZ? The controversy continues), the Middle East
can claim its influence in coffee shops. The first recorded coffee
house was in Arabia during the 15th century, used
as a place for men to meet, drink coffee and enjoy music, games and
conversation. The idea caught and coffee houses began to spread to
Egypt and Turkey, before India, Europe and beyond.

Centuries later, the Italians followed suit, adding their own
gusto to the coffee narrative. First finding success in Venice via
trade, coffee swiftly spilled over the rest of the country; many
extravagantly-designed coffee houses were erected for public
enjoyment. Built in Milan's Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in
1867, Caffé Zucca was one of the first
coffee houses in the Italian capital. Still open for business
today, the café was frequented by 19th-century
musicians, Giuseppe Verdi and Arturo Toscanini, who would enjoy a
coffee after performances at La Scala. In 1901, Milan's Luigi
Bezzera invented the espresso, the city changing the coffee game
forevermore.

Sub out Milano's Zucca for any one of Melbourne's crowded café lanes today, and
you'll find that the enjoyment of quality coffee has transcended
centuries - the art of coffee still reigns supreme. Coffee
'palaces' began populating Melbourne in the 1880s, before the first
espresso machine came to town in the 1930s, calling Café Florentino
(now Grossi Florentino) on Bourke Street,
home. A specialty at first, the post-World War II influx of Italian
migrants saw espresso's popularity soar, and Australia's obsession
begin.

While today we may take our espresso under a frothy coat of chai
latte (read: the dirty chai); coffee has proved it's here to stay.
We're continually evolving and we're taking coffee with us. The
crescendoing hustle and bustle of life's daily grind has led to an
abundance of caffeine-coated hangouts. Melburnians claim top
position with 63.3% of people paying at least one visit a month to a coffee shop,
followed closely by Hobart (62.7%) and Sydney (61%).

We're self-proclaimed coffee snobs, seeking out a favourite
coffee shop in all the postcodes of our life. Thanks to the
introduction of at-home espresso machines, our love for quality
coffee can continue to grow alongside our swelling
schedules. Nespresso's newly released Tribute to Milano
Limited Edition blend takes us back to the original espresso
heyday, in true 21st-century style. With a push of a
button, the blend delivers refined flavours of traditional Italian
coffee; smooth, intense and with a hint of fruity aroma - just as
Verdi liked it.

But it's more than the bitterness of the brew we're checking off
our criteria list. Now more than ever we're, interested in
the sourcing and manufacturing of our goods. It's
a public awareness that's seen a shift in our coffee culture once
more. The terms 'certified-organic', 'fair-trade', and
'sustainably-sourced' are now frequent occurrences on Australian
café menus and at-home espresso labels alike.

"Coffee is the second-largest raw export in the world, after
oil. The importance of sustainable practices across all stages of
operations is paramount," says Nespresso ambassador Mitch Monaghan.
"This means how the coffee is grown, how it is packaged, produced
and transported, and, of course, how it is disposed of after
consumption."

Australia's love affair with coffee is only intensifying. Like
any enduring relationship, compromise has seen its survival. It
seems whatever the unimaginable future holds in store, coffee's
deep-rooted culture will continue to thrive.

Each fortnight we round up the most interesting characters from the food world for your listening pleasure. We chat to chefs, cooks, authors, bar tenders and baristas - anyone who has something new and interesting to say about the way we like to eat and drink.